Twin Atlantic: Free

The new Biffy Clyro? Wait, come back...

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The success of Biffy Clyro has apparently sparked a resurgence in Scotland’s rock scene. As well as sharing a broad geographical location and fondness for unsightly facial hair, Glasgow’s Twin Atlantic serve up the same combination of roof-lifting alt-rock anthems and unrepentantly Caledonian delivery as their X Factor-bothering countrymen.

With Pixies/Foo Fighters producer Gil Norton rubber-stamping their credentials, their second album finds the foursome leaping between abrasive noise (The Ghost Of Eddie), crashing, 21st-century boogie (Dreamember) and sparse, string-assisted regret (Crash Land).

Frontman Sam McTrusty admirably refuses to water-down his broad brogue, though it’s a pity they didn’t do the same with some of their more smart-arse song titles (Yes, I Was Drunk and Serious Underground Dance Vibes among them). A minor blip on an otherwise impressive record.

Dave Everley

Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! and Classic Rock, Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw, not necessarily in that order. He has written for Metal Hammer, Louder, Prog, the Observer, Select, Mojo, the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill. He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago.